The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1887-01-27

guage tney speak. My ears scarce
ly hear any more My God, IL they
were our people l would shout.
They will hear me from down yon-
dor. That will be better that fallins
into the hands Of the Bashi Bouzouks
But why dou't they come? l am
devoured with impatience,so that
do not perceive the odor OF The
corpse any longer.
AT last a Cossack appears at the
ford Of the stream. foiiowe by sew
eral others. zee the blue uniforms
trimmed with red, the lances-it is
la dsmi-sotnia. commanded by an
officer with black beard, mounted
on magnificent horse, As soon as
the mon havo passed,he turns round
on his saddle and commands. .:
"March, trot =
stop! for Gods sake, stop, broth
ers Help" | shout, aud the trot
Of tue horses, the rattle of tho sabers
and the Doisy conversation droN II
my voice.
Malediction! fall with my face
upon the ground, sobbing. All is
lost, everything escapes me, my life,
my rescue, even to the brief delay OF
the term Of my death, the water in
tue drinking flask that l overturned
in my despair l perceive it only
when but fsw drops remain. All
has boeu drunk up by the arid soil.
cannot tell how long the stupor
lasted that took possession Of me af-
ter that terrible moment. remain
ed stretched ont with closed eyes
The wind changed often, now fresh
and pure, now enveloping me with O
horrible stencil. Ou that day my
neighbor had become more frightful
than any mind could imagine.
On opening my eyes | saw him
and was terrified at dis aspect. lie
had no longer face tue flesh had
slid from off his bones, and bis fear
fnl skeleton smile, motionless and
hldeous, caught my eye. / have
held a skull in my honds more than
once, and have even prepared anato-
mical specimens, but that huge body,
already denuded of its flesh, dressed
in Uniform, with glittering buttons
made me shiver. 1t is war, said
to myself; there is it's portrait.
The sun scorches my face and
hands more and more. ] have drunk
all the water that was left. / was
suffering 80 terribly from thirst that
l swallowed all Of it at one pull, al,
though l had determined TO drink
only one mouthful. All !! why did
l not call tue Cossacks when they
were 30 close to me? And even if
they had been Turks il ould have
been better than this. They would
have tortured me an hour or two,
while now, how much longer shall
have to suffer ?
Mother, mother, thou wilt tear thy
gray hair; thou wilt curse the world
that has Invented war! Yet l hope
that neither thou nor Masha will ev-
or know Of my tortures. Goodbye,
mother! good. bye, my beirothed !
My God! how bitter and hard
Something surges to my heart; it
is still the rememberaDce OF the lit
tie white dog. Tue policeman did
save him he dashed him against
the wall, aad threw him in q ditch,
where the poor little creature lived
and suffered m entire day. am
still more unfortunate, for my ago.
ny has lasted three days now; to-
morrow will be the fourth-then the
fifth, the sixth ! Death, where dost
thou hidef Come, come. take me !
Death does not hear. Here am
under this flaming sun, with not a
single drop Of water to moisten my
burning throat. The corpse bane is
in my breath. The corpse is all de-
composed. Myriads of worms fall
from it. How they crawl Whom
devoured, nothing will remain but
the bones and the uniform. Them
! it will be my turn, and shall be-
come like it.
The day passes, the night, aud it
is always the samo thing.
V.
The morning dawns. Still arotb-
or day. The trees rusile and mur.
mur like one speaking. Some OF
them say; "You are dying You
are dying You shall sec no moro y
Tha otbaro ana,yar.